Spotlight on... Adele Elliott

Relocated by a Witch......  named Katrina

Welcome back to another interview brought to you by the Little Yellow Building. This week we will be talking to a Mississippi Artist who channels her creativity through writing, painting and creating work out of things she finds along life's path.

Adele Elliott has been through it, and she joins us today to share about her journey and studio practice.

Adele gave us so much interview material that there will be a part 2 coming later! Make sure you check out her website studioadeleelliott.com after the interview.

Sign up HERE if you are an Artist living and working in Mississippi and would like to be interviewed. 

MUSIC MEMORIES - $150 FACE OIL ON WOOD, CIGAR BOX, VINTAGE FIGURINE, BEADS AND BUTTONS , 16” X 5’’

Q. Hi Adele, tell us what part of Mississippi are you in? 
A. My husband and I have lived in Columbus since a witch named Katrina destroyed our home, our business, and most of my sanity. That was 15 years ago, still here. We are from New Orleans.

Q. Where did you grow up, and how has it affected your Art? 
A. I am a Louisiana girl to the bone. For several years, my family lived in Memphis. We moved back to NOLA when I was 11. I am so grateful to my parents for bringing me to the bohemian world of that city. New Orleans is a city that is not impressed with great wealth. The quirky and artistic personalities are honored. Whether someone makes music, or jewelry, painting, (even chefs are celebrities) they are admired. The streets are a treasure trove of found objects. Much of my work starts with something found on the curb.

Q. Tell me about a memory from your childhood.
A. When my family moved from Memphis to New Orleans, we had to dramatically cut the weight of our possessions. My parents threw away mountains of books. One of my last memories was the trash cans, and ground around, piled with books. I found it quite painful.

Q. Tell us about your background in Art.
​A. I have a degree in painting from the University of New Orleans. I graduated at age 45. I am proud of my degree because I always thought college would be too hard for me. I have also taken classes at the Academy Gallery in uptown New Orleans.
However, my education comes from a lifetime of painting on anything I can get my hands on. I straddle the worlds between fine art and outsider art.

WEDDING TRIP TO HAVANA WITH MEMORIES AND DREAMS UNDER A STARRY SKY -$175 VINTAGE PHOTOS, ANTIQUE DOLL HEAD (C. 1900), DOILY, FOUND OBJECTS. 8″ X 10″

Q.What Mediums do you work in?
A. I am primarily an oil painter. I use tons of assemblage in work. My teachers would be horrified! ​

Q. What Art do you identify with most?
A. I love outsider art. Those artists let nothing stop them! They made images with house paint and mud. They are driven.I am a bit like them in that I will work with anything I can find. The determination to create cannot be hindered. 

Q. Who or what are your biggest influences? 
A. How long do you have? HA! Louisiana artist, Douglas Bourgeois is a favorite. Also, Texas painter, Julie Speed. Joseph Cornell is one I love. I study classical paintings, trying to learn techniques, but pale in comparison. 
I am strongly influenced by Catholic iconography. I see auras (or halos), and sometimes use them in my work.
​

KING OF OSHUN - $150 OIL ON PAINTBRUSH, SHELLS, PEACOCK FEATHERS, PAINT. 4″ X 10″

PAGE TO THE QUEEN - SOLD OIL ON PAINT BRUSH, “JEWELS,” 12” X 5”

HE WHO RULES - $100 OIL ON PAINTBRUSH, MIRROR, BEADS, RIBBON, 11” X 3”

SHE EXPECTED THE SILVER BEAN - $150 OIL PAINT ON BRUSH, BEADS, AND SEQUINS 9” X 4”

Q. Tell me about any themes you pursue in your Art.
A. I was raised as a Catholic, educated by nuns. I still love saints and images with golden halos.These days, I am quite anti-Catholic. I will never forgive the pedophile priests. However, I still paint saints. Can’t blame them for the priests!

Q. Does spirituality and culture play a role in your work?
A. Because I see auras, they often appear in paintings. My background includes not only Catholicism, but also an interest in Vodou, and the study of many religions. There are references to these in many works.
Culture is another story. Our contemporary culture is so seeped in corruption and criminality that I just get angry. That, too, shows in some pieces.

Q. What research do you do for your work?
A. I love the internet! I use a great deal of symbolism in my work. Flowers or animals are often associated with saints, so I read the stories of their lives to get hints. Now, 
I’m working on a piece about Saint Roch. He supposedly went into the forest to die, but a dog brought him food. That must in some way be included. 
Mythology and fairy tales make an appearance, as well. I don’t know all the stories, so research is important and revealing.
I also study renaissance work just to learn about skin tones and natural body poses.
I have many books about saints and fairy tales. They are always near my easel.
​

HE HAD A WICKED SENSE OF HUMOR - SOLD OIL ON WOODEN BOWL, 45 RPM RECORD, BATTERY, WIRE, COINS, FOUND OBJECTS. 7” DIAMETER, 2” DEEP

Q. What is your creative process like?
A. I am a bit manic. I am happy if I’m making something, and panic when I run out of materials. That has happened once or twice this year because I couldn’t afford supplies. Then, I painted on sheet music, and pages from a damaged book. I suppose my process is frenetic. 

Q. Do you ever hide hidden messages or meanings in your work?
A. Often. Sometimes messages, references, and jokes. However, I do not care if a viewer gets them or not. They are more for my private amusement. I have sold work to people who see an entirely different meaning in a painting than was my intent. That is fine with me. 
​

Q. Do you normally have an idea before you start working?
A. Whatever I find is the inspiration. My neighbor brought me some stones from his vacation home. I look at them and see the painting. There may be mountains, or water. The plan comes from the shape. 

Q. Has your Art practice changed over time?
A. It has gotten much smaller. In school, we were expected to paint BIG! We started with canvases three feet by four feet. The teachers were abstract expressionists. They hated small, figurative work. As soon as I graduated, I began sizing down. I married my husband when I was 47. He loved TV. At that time, I began painting on small wooded bowls because I could sit with him in front of the TV and work. This piece is from the “Persons of Record” series. The face in painted on a wooden bowl. The 45 RPM record is his halo or aura.

Q. Describe your work space to us.
A. I started with one room as my studio. It is now so filled with ephemera that it looks as if something exploded, or maybe like a hoarder’s lair. I have moved my easel into the TV room. This better because I am not so isolated. It is a bit messy. I have a husband who thinks my work is great, no matter the mess. 

​Q. How much time does it take you to complete a project?
A. Different series take different times. Surprisingly, the smallest pieces, the Art Dolls, take the longest. 
A painting, with no assemblage, 16” x 20,” can be finished in a week or two (not counting drying).
The Art Dolls are created in layers. I start by drilling the hole for arms, legs, head, and hanging wire. These are wired on and glued inside for strength. If it is a piece that opens, the lining of body and lid will be glued on. Each layer can only be done when the layer before it is complete and the glued dried. These pieces usually take four to six weeks. They are a lesson in patience. In dolls, and “Persons of Record” the faces are painted in oils. 
I am usually working on four or five pieces at a time. Nothing will show much progress – then several are finished in a day or two.

IN RECOVERY FROM A CATHOLIC CHILDHOOD - $150 OIL ON CANVAS, 45 RPM RECORD, ANTIQUE DOLL HAND, CHICKEN BONES, ANTIQUE DOLL HAND, CHICKEN BONES, GOLD LEAF, BEADS, HOLY PICTURES. 9” X 6”

Q. How do you know when something you have been working on is finished?
A. Not really a problem for me. My work is so small that I just run out of room. This was an issue in school because our canvases were as large as a wall.
Also, I stop when my arms, and behind, can take no more.

Q. Is there an element of art that you enjoy working with most?
A. Although, I consider myself a painter, I love assemblage. Unmatched earrings, broken pottery, keys without locks, these, and so much more, are my materials. It gives me pleasure to create a story from orphan pieces.

Q. What is your most important tool in your studio?
A. My husband. I cannot walk. He seals paintings, adds the eye hooks, takes the photos. And, most of all, supports and encourages my work. Not all husbands are so wonderful!

Q. Have you always had support in your art career?
A. Of course not! In my twenties, I was in a horrible marriage. He was a medical student and a sadist. Nothing I ever did was as important as his education. 

Q. Are there any other channels you use to express your creativity?
A. Besides novels and short stories, I wrote an opinion column for the local paper for almost nine years. My hate mail was stunning!
I have also made tiaras, not a big demand here. They are more of a New Orleans thing.

Q. How do you differ from other Artists in your genre?
A. I don’t know what my genre is. My work doesn’t seem to fit neatly into a category.

Check back with us soon for our second interview.
You can see more of Adele's work on her website studioadeleelliott.com
Until next time!

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